If you are investing your time and money on social media marketing efforts, you want to know if what you are doing is working and how it’s impacting your brand. Likewise, if someone else is spending their financial resources on you to manage their social media presence for them, they need proof that it’s worth it. So, would you measure your social media success by the number of likes a Facebook page receives? Or by the number of Retweets a Twitter post gets? If you’re unsure about what insights actually matter on social media, you are not alone. 88% of marketers also want to know how to measure the ROI from social media. So, we are going to share with you all the information you need to track your social media return on investment (ROI) and the tools available that make it all easier for you.

Without goals there is nothing to measure. Every month you must determine what it is that you or your client wants to accomplish through your social media campaign. What is important for your company at this time? Do you need more traffic driven to your website to generate leads or do you simply need more people entering in your latest contest? What is it that you want your followers to do after they read your content? Once you establish your goals, you will know what metrics need to be tracked and can begin to experiment with which tools can deliver that information to you.

What can you measure?

New followers/fans

Post reach

Interesting interactions and engagement

Site traffic

Lead generation

Sign-ups/conversions

Revenue increases

What tools can measure it for you? Facebook insights provides you with the information on things like how many page likes you have (the total and within the past few weeks), your post reach, and levels of engagement for each post. Using this information you can decide what time is the most beneficial to post to your fans as well as what type of post received the most attention. Additionally, if you received a lot of engagement from your promotion post and subsequently an increase in the amount of signups you received, you can probably attribute it to your social media efforts and not some freak accident. Utilizing tools like Google Analytics can reveal where most of your traffic is coming from whether it be Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, etc. If you are an avid Twitter user, Social Bro tracks your interactions, measures the effectiveness of your campaigns, and provides you with audience insights. Likewise, Hootsuite enables you to analyze your brand growth, receive social demographics of your audience, and identify key community influencers.

What do you do with the information once you have it? Create weekly-monthly reports. The best tip we can give you is to create templates for these metric reports. Doing so will not only save you time, but will keep your reports looking consistent so that you can more easily compare figures. If you need an idea of where to start, Rachel Melia created a sample reporting template for Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Blogs. Additionally, inputting your numbers into a report makes it easy to disseminate to your supervisor or client so that they can review the results and determine whether goals are being met. Similarly, your reports can be used to create your goals for the following month and highlight the areas you need to work on harder.

Remember: What works on social media isn’t static. This is what makes analyzing your ROI so important. You have to constantly review your weak spots and improve your strategy to overcome them and add value to your campaign.

Do you use a specific social media analytics tool that really works for you? Share your comments below, we love to hear from you!

With the ever-increasing technological world that we live in, you wouldn’t be surprised to find out that 74% of online adults use social networking sites. What you might not realize, however, is that only 55% of businesses are utilizing social media as a primary tool for their marketing strategy. Over the past year, this number has been on the rise and is projected to grow exponentially over the next few years as more and more businesses realize the benefits of social media.

What this means for you:

Social media is strengthening your competition by helping them actively engage the public you aim to serve. How this happens is that social media networks provide a voice to often faceless companies and help them build relationships with potential consumers, even your potential consumers. So, if you aren’t on social media, your clients and potential consumers ARE (and it is likely that so is your competition!). Therefore, it is essential for you to get on the social media bandwagon because it is no longer merely a tool that gives you a competitive edge, it is a societal expectation that your brand has a social media presence with which they can learn more about and engage with you.

Did you know?

Social media is found to be the top Internet activity participated in, even surpassing email. This means that the public is spending more and more time on social media. So, ask yourself, who are you marketing your services or products to? Members of the public! So, shouldn’t you be on social media, too? Additionally, out of the marketers that chose to utilize social media, 92% of marketers indicate that social media is important.

Here are a few reasons for you to consider on why social media is important:

Gives you the opportunity to learn about your audience. Who they are, what are their likes/dislikes, and what is it that they need from you.

Why a social media budget is absolutely necessary for your marketing plan:

While it might be tempting to forego the cost (and experience!) of social media professionals, it isn’t advised (and that’s not just because we offer this service). Actually, we offer this service because we have seen what happens when businesses choose to go it alone. Too often, companies are so motivated to get involved in social media that they join every network possible, subsequently spreading their time and resources too thin and resulting in dissatisfied, neglected followers that are hungry for information. Likewise, without the knowledge and advice of a seasoned social media marketer, you risk damaging your company’s credibility by posting too much, not posting enough, posting the wrong information, and even posting the right information but at the wrong time or on the wrong network (there are just SO many factors). But even companies who choose to handle their own social media accounts can no longer afford to do it for free. Social media networks are cashing in on the findings that businesses are using their services, and getting results! In order to stay relevant in the competition and get your information seen (and shared), you have to utilize paid Facebook advertisements, Promoted Pins on Pinterest, and Twitter’s mobile targeting. Thus, companies thinking that they don’t have time, energy, or financial resources to expend on a solid social media strategy is quickly becoming a thing of the past. So much so that social media marketing budgets will actually double over the next five years.

Why social media is (most likely) for you:

Even after you have considered all of the information and data that reveals just how powerful social media marketing is for your business, you might still be unsure of whether or not it is right for you. Honestly, social media isn’t the most effective marketing option for every single business, but it is for most! When making your decision, it is important to realize that social media will not be the answer to all of your business woes. Likewise, you cannot just merely sign up for a social media account and expect followers to come to you without putting work into building relationships. You have to educate yourself on the best tactics, keep up with the latest trends, create, promote, and share quality content every single day, and spend time getting to genuinely know your followers. In short, social media is not a magical elixir, but it is a remarkable tool that is currently unrivaled for reaching and engaging your audience in a whole new way. As previously stated, 55% of businesses are currently using social media networking to their advantage by making connections and getting their name more visible. The question is, why aren’t you doing something to ensure that your company isn’t forgotten in the meantime?

Do you have any comments or questions about social media? Share them below, we’d love to hear from you!

We already answered some of the most asked questions about Twitter and now we want to give you our top 5 exclusive tips and tricks for taking your business to the next level on Twitter.

#1: Keep Your Tweet Short and Sweet

Keep in mind that people who are checking their Twitter accounts are usually scanning quickly through just a few top Tweets in their news feed and let’s face it, attention spans are on the decline. So, the question is, how do you hook future customers for a click? Try using Tweets as a headline. If you cannot think of a catchy title, try quoting from the actual article instead.

#2: Make it Interesting

Make sure that you base your content on interesting and intriguing information so your customers will want to stay updated and “follow” you just about anywhere. Always be on the lookout for fresh and exciting news so that you might be the first one that delivers that news to your followers, which makes you appear to have first dibs on the best content out there. Basically, get to know your audience and write about what you think they would enjoy reading.

#3: Let a Picture Do the Talking

Use a colorful/attention grabbing graphic in your content. Do you want to stand out on the Twitter news feed? Of course you do. We’ve got one word: Picture! Not everyone uses them but they should. No, we aren’t talking about selfies… We are talking attention getting graphics that reach out and grab those Twitter skimmers and tell them to “stop, look, and listen” to you and your brand.

#4: Utilize the Right #Hashtags

Check hashtags before you use them and make sure to do your research on the best option for your next Tweet. Helping you find that perfect hashtag is a snap with these amazing tools so you can grab the attention of your audience.

Hashtag.org: Hashtag analytics report on how that specific hashtag has done in the past 24 hours and also estimates how well the hashtag will do in future hours based off of its past 24 hour performance.

Tagboard: This amazing website helps you search potential keywords or hashtags and tell how well it’s currently doing. Tagboard also lists a few of the top recent Tweets featuring that keyword, including pictures and full content of that Tweet.

Hashtagify.me: This site helps you search the top 10 trending Twitter hashtags by using keyword definition. Hashtagify also displays top recent Tweets by keyword, and helps you find a related keyword based on the one that you were searching for – Just in case you need a backup, right?

#5: Find the Best Time to Tweet

Good news! Finding a formula for your business doesn’t have to be rocket science. There are amazing analytics tools out there that help you and your company find out when your customers are online with no stalking required! Social media reports can be conducted to collect data in order to find the prime time that your customers are usually online, Tweeting, and interacting on their accounts. This data will reveal the “prime time” that YOU need to be online, Tweeting, and interacting on your account. Social media reports can also tell you what days are more active during the week, which in turn, shows you what days YOUR company should be more active and attentive on your Twitter account as well. When you Tweet at the prime times for your audience, you get the most out of your post!

Looking for the perfect Social Media Marketing (SMM) tool to help with your company’s analytics needs? You can try a quick search for “Twitter Analytics Tools” or check out a few of these awesome links below:

SocialBro: With a ‘Best Time to Tweet’ report by SocialBro, a free account will run an analytics report based on your top 100 followers to help you get the right idea. This report will also suggest the best time to Tweet to your audience, give you the rundown on the latest hot keywords and hashtags, and provide you with visual charts on where the majority of your followers are located in the World Wide Web. Why should you know this? Because this information will assist you in selecting the right content to share at the right time for your audience. Fist bump, bro!

Hootsuite: Social Media Reports have never been easier than with a Hootsuite Analytic Report. These quick and easy statistics are pulled from previous account history. These reports now show which of your Tweets were most retweeted and mentioned in the past. This feature helps you gauge a better time to Tweet in future and you can also view a graph displaying the detailed summary of how well each of your Tweets did from your account. This is one app that is not just for the birds…get it? Hootsuite also has an amazing little feature called “Autoschedule”, this option will help you select a time, based on the results of your past Tweet history’s peak performance, and “autoschedules” them for that time in the future.

Twitonomy: It’s not just fun to say, it’s pretty helpful too! Twitonomy helps you create a detailed and visual analytics report on anyone’s Tweets, retweets, replies, mentions, and hashtags. It can also help you monitor your interactions with other Twitter users like mentions, retweets, and favorites as well as get actionable insights on your followers with the Followers Report to name a few.

Buffer: Buffer helps you schedule and track the analytics of your Twitter content. You can also schedule upcoming Tweets and get some great suggestions on future content and updates.

Hopefully, these tools will help you always know WHEN to send out that awesome content that you have been just itching to share! After all, what good is a Tweet if no one is online to read it?

If you follow these basic steps to socializing Twitter-style you will be well on your way to effective social media success one Tweet at a time. Don’t forget to Tweet us @Giant_Marketing about your travels through the Twitter universe!

Got more tips or tricks? Leave us a comment below, we love to hear from you!

There are a few questions that tend to fly around (<– see what we did there?) when a business is starting up on Twitter. Some of the more prevalent questions are: “What content should my business Tweet?”, “Who do I follow?”, “When are the best hours to Tweet?”, and “What keywords or #hashtags are most used by my followers?”. So, we want to get you in the know by providing you with the answers to these questions in order to help get your business growing on Twitter today in a GIANT way!

Where to Start: What Should I Tweet?

If you want to know how to find amazing new Twitter content, then we need to start with the basics. It’s easier than you think – just put yourself in the shoes of your audience! Most of your customers only have about 5 minutes to check their personal Twitter accounts during their lunch or break before they must return to the work. So, what would YOU want to read during your 5 minute digital escape? Some company’s latest sales pitch? Probably not.

Think about it this way, most personal Twitter accounts are used for checking personal updates and scanning through the latest news stories relevant to what your audience has chosen to follow. We have to put into perspective the fact that Twitter is a personalized news feed which is completely LIVE and on the go with your viewers. It is when we finally realize this and get our gears in motion, that we really find ourselves on the right track to a more successful and engaging business to consumer relationship.

You might begin by looking for the right information to share by finding something that inspires you, follow people who are interesting, and make sure that you retweet (RT) the latest information, news, local events, and content with helpful tips and tricks. But don’t limit yourself to only retweeting (RT) information—make sure that you also create some of your own content too! When Tweeting original content, be sure that the headline is HOT and interesting, and use keywords or #hashtags that are trending and popular with your followers and your brand. Be interesting and don’t forget to have fun with it!

Following The Leader

Believe it or not – following members and brands on Twitter is a BIG part of YOUR company. Your business can find value in following members that align with your brand’s general tone. Let’s say there is a business selling home insurance starting a new Twitter account. We would suggest that this business may find it valuable to follow insurance based brands on Twitter, of course! But they may also find it helpful to follow members who Tweet about buying new homes. Likewise, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to follow members that offer tips and tricks on home improvement. Keep in mind that they might Tweet things that this business may also want to retweet to THEIR followers in the future.

You may also consider following brands that reach outside of your brand’s “comfort zone” by following non-relevant Twitter accounts like informational feeds, news sites, humorous quotes, small business marketing, inspirational photos – anything that you deem worthy for your company to share as your brand’s future Tweets, so keep it fresh!

Lastly, we here at GIANT Marketing always suggest that you follow competitor brands. You may find it hard to believe but this is more than just keeping an eye on the competition. You never know when you may get an idea from someone on the other side. That is, you don’t need to follow your competition in order to do something better; rather you might follow them for the inspiration to do something differently. Not to mention that “following” your competition generally leads to a few extra fans from the other side. It may seem strange at first, but today – let’s be the bigger business!

Hours of Operation

Statistics tell us that Twitter fans generally check their accounts in the mornings just before work, lunch break, and after work. So, what are those hours exactly? Although most people swear by 9AM, 12PM, and 3PM. Let’s reanalyze these times, shall we?

Let’s consider that your brand has a unique group of followers that may very well be on at 9AM, 12PM, and 3PM. However, this may not be the case in every scenario and let’s be honest…if something gets Tweeted and no one is around to read it, was it ever really Tweeted?

Realistically, most of your customers do not all have the same work schedule, nor does the majority of your customers also happen to live in the same time zone. Similarly, keep in mind that everyone is different, every company is different, and your customers are noexception!

So, how do we find out when the best time is to share that amazing new content of yours? We certainly want each and every post to reach the most possible Twitter viewers, so it’s no secret that this job calls for an analytics report! Once you create an analytics report, be sure to keep all reports updated since you are always adding new fans and brands in this ever changing social media universe.

The #Hashtags Universe

Part of getting your name out there in social media on Twitter is utilizing the #hashtag code. This is a live keyword that instantly draws attention to your latest and sometimes less recent posts. Using a hashtag is always recommended, but the trick to using a hashtag is to be sure that it’s a hot topic before you drop that code into place. For example, why would you want to hashtag #office when you know that the hashtag #marketing has been more popular in the past 24 hours and that more people are currently searching for it? Obviously #marketing would be the better choice. The most important thing to remember is to make your hashtags count by ensuring that they are not only relevant to your posts but will get you noticed the most.

Now that you have the answers to these important questions, you are ready to jump on that Twitter bandwagon and see what it is all about! Don’t forget to Tweet us @Giant_Marketing about your travels through the Twitter universe!

Got more questions that you need answers to? Leave us a comment below, we love to hear from you!

We all know that larger amounts of Twitter followers increases your search engine stats but did you know that followers have a proportional impact on how far and wide your message projects to the world?

With many research-backed methods for growing your Twitter followers we came across these 8 simple and effective tips to gain more followers and project further to your audience.